


Lucky Little Duck

by tiffersthenerdy



Category: Free!
Genre: Duck Pool Float, Humor, Its the real MVP, Other, Running Nude, Tachibana Needs Halp, Tachibana is having a bad night, or a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:22:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24478633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiffersthenerdy/pseuds/tiffersthenerdy
Summary: After locking himself out of the locker room naked, Tachibana has to make it to his house in nothing but a duck pool floatie.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Lucky Little Duck

**Author's Note:**

> This is a drabble I did on my Tumblr. Drabble requests are still open and this [post](https://tiffthenerd01.tumblr.com/post/619460128766377984/friendly-reminder-that-im-still-taking-short-fic) tells you the fandoms I write for and what I do write, which is everything. I ask that you just give me some time to complete them, I am a busy lady who loves to make people smile with her writing.

Life had been going well for Tachibana; college is interesting, his job as an assistant swim coach is fun and engaging, he still sees his friends and family, and he is generally in a state of happiness. Life is apparently too good. That’s all he can think as he stares at the locked door of the locker room. On the inside is his keys to said door and his only set of clothes.

Should he have put clothes on to go investigate the scary noise in the hallway? Probably. Did he figure it was okay to go naked because the building is completely empty except for him (and whatever ghost was lurking in the hall)? Yep and now he is locked out of every door in the swim club.

Panic slowly creeps into Tachibana’s bones as he realizes that even his phone is in the locker room and while he could use the one at the front desk he doesn’t actually remember anyone’s number to call and ask for help. Looking around the lobby frantically he settles on using the one thing he sees to help him get home as covered as possible. A stray pool float that looks like a duck stares back at him as he approaches it and covers his face in embarrassment before stepping into it and pulling it up. The duck sits tightly around his hips and Tachibana is silently thankful for that so he can have his hands free to cover himself better.

With one last mournful look at the door of the locker room, Tachibana takes a deep breath and sidles out the front door of the building. Looking around to make sure the coast is clear he says a silent prayer of thanks for darkness left behind by the setting sun and then makes a dash for a nearby bush. What would normally be an easy walk home is going to end up being a spontaneous adventure. Luckily, the street is deserted so running down it isn’t too bad, but he knows his luck will eventually run out.

Reaching the first intersection, several cars drive by and Tachibana dives behind a trashcan where he crouches until the quiet surrounds him again. Blood rushes through his ears and his breathing is heavier than it needs to be, but the fear of being caught keeps forcing adrenaline into his bloodstream and staying still for long isn’t much of an option.

Completely ignoring the street signals, Tachibana darts across the road and down an alley to his left and at the end of it he takes a right turn into a small park. Unexpectedly there is a woman walking her dog down the path that he is standing on and just as she begins looking up from her phone he leaps into some shrubbery and stays very still until she is far past him.

Tachibana almost believes that lady luck is on his side until the pool float around his hips rapidly deflates and a giant centipede crawls across his foot making him scream like a little girl. Abandoning all tries at public decency, Tachibana springs out of the bushes and sprints across the park yelling apologies to the couple he runs by as they walk out of the woods.

Bursting out of the trees, Tachibana skids to a halt on road where his house is, checking to be sure its empty before creeping to the front door of his home. Painstakingly slow, he slides the door open and edges inside, carefully sliding it shut again. In the dim lighting of the entry way he can finally see the poor duck float that is flat and slightly torn in certain areas. It hangs around him like a too small skirt and doesn’t hide much of anything and he can only imagine what he looked like as he attempted to sneak home.

Voices from the kitchen alert him that his parents are in there so he crouches as low as possible without revealing himself and slinks by the doorway, catching a glimpse of his father searching through the fridge and his mother cooking at the stove. It’s clear his siblings are playing in their room and he is relieved for that. Just as he goes to shut the door to his bedroom where he’ll be safe, his mother calls softly down the hall to him, “nice duck, but you may want to put on some actual clothes.” As soon as his door snaps shut, Tachibana sinks to the floor and buries his face in his hands.

After a short struggle to get the pool float off, he puts on his lounge clothes and folds up the sad looking duck, tucking it in the top of his closet. No one would believe his story otherwise, not that he plans to tell it.

**Author's Note:**

> I now have a [Carrd](https://tiffersthenerdy.carrd.co/)!


End file.
